Web cartridge belt



,July 31, 1934. s. L. HOWARD WEB CARTRIDGE BELT Filed Feb. 2, 1934 Patented July 31, 1934 1,968,767 WEB CARTRIDGE BELT Samuel L. Howard, Washington, D. C. Application February 2, 1934, Serial No. 709,531

4 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in a cartridge belt, particularly an improvement in` the present web cartridge belts, (such as the pistol belt, automatic riile belt, rie belt), used by the 5 Marine Corps, Army and Navy of the'United cartridge pouches of which may be removed and other cartridgeppouches substituted for a diierent kind of ammunition.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cartridge belt, the adoption of which will eiect a large saving in the purchase of equipment.

A further object of the invention is to'efect an improvement in the smart and soldierly appearance of men in the service, due to the use of the improved belt herein shown and described.

A still further object is vto provide carriers for pistol ammunition clips `which may be slipped on the belt with rifle ammunition pouches in order that mounted detachments, or men armed with rie and pistol, may carry both types of ammunition on the same belt.

Still anothter object of the invention is to provide a belt constructed and adapted for'the automatic rifle ammunition, the carriers for the clips of which may be slipped on the belt,thus permitting the riemen in the squad to carry extra ammunition for the automatic rifle.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of a belt which will replace satisfactorily the present Thompson sub-caliber ammunition belt, thereby doing away with another article of equipment.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a cartridge belt which will not become un-` serviceable and require replacement because several cartridge pockets ravel out, or the clips' on the pockets become broken.

Further objects will appear hereinafter throughout the specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Figure 1 illustrates my improved belt having several different types of ammunition carriers or pouches mounted thereon:

Figure 2 illustrates a side elevation of the pocket or pouch adapted for the carrying of a hand grenade; and

holding l Figure 3 illustrates a side elevation of a carrier for clips for pistol ammunition.

Ithas been noted that the great majority of web cartridge belts now in service become unserviceable after use, due to the cartridge pockets becoming ravelled orY the clips on the pockets breaking out. Substantially four-fifths of these belts are still serviceable, but due to these defects, .the belts must be discarded. Inspection of used web cartridge belts has disclosed that the cartridge pockets or pouches are subjected tothe greatest wear and these become unserviceable long before the belt itself shows any appreciable amount of Wear.

' The present web pistol belt now in service in the United States Army, Navy, and Marine Corps is provided with a series of eyelets for supporting the bayonet, canteen, etc., which eyelets are spaced two and three-fourths inches apart. The present application concerns itself with a belt similar in some respects to the pistol belt now in service, but differing in that the eyelets in the structure herein disclosed are spaced three and one-fourth inches to outside or any suitable distance, in order to accommodate the individual pouches, and permit the support of bayonet, canteen, etc., and in other structural differences hereinafter pointed out.

During certain kinds of service, riemen are provided with hand grenades. The present rie belt is provided with a number of cartridge pouches which cartridge pouches are sewed to the webbing of the belt. There is no place on this belt, due to the fact that the cartridge pouches are sewed thereon, to allow for the supporting by this belt of grenade pouches. It is therefore necessary to provide an additional belt to support the grenade pouches. It will be appreciated that this adds considerable to the amount of equipment which must be carried, and, moreover, is an awkward arrangement and gets in the way of the men thus equipped, and additionally, increases materially the cost of equipping men for this type of service.- Mounted riemen are provided with a rifle belt. It becomes necessary to provide an additional belt in order to provide a carrier for pistol ammunition, in order that mounted detachments or men armed With the riiie and pistol, can carry both types of ammunition.

Practical disadvantages to be found in adapting the service pistol belt for carrying removable pockets for different types of ammunition, are that the eyelets on this belt are positioned too close together to accommodate detachable pouches for holding certain types of ammunition,

such as Thompsons sub-caliber ammunition, hand grenade pouches, etc., and said pouches when slipped on the belt have a tendency to slide oif before the ends of the belt have been fastened around the waist of the wearer. However, where the eyelets are spaced three and one-fourth inches, all of these pouches may be slipped on the belt and the canteen, bayonet, etc. now in service, may be hooked on these eyelets by slightly adjusting or bending the hooks which engage the aforesaid eyelets. Provision is made for the preventing of the slipping olf of any of the detachable pockets in the present invention by forming a loop at each end of the belt, one of the detachable pockets being inserted in each loop. These pockets form a stop for any pockets which may slip around the belt during the time the belt is being applied to the waist or removed: from thel waist of the wearer. After the belt has been once applied, the tightness of the belt about the waist of the wearer prevents slipping of the cartridge pouches on the belt during use. Also, the size of the belt may be adjusted by shortening or lengthening each loop.

1n the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates a web cartridge belt having a plurality of loops 2 and 3.

The end of each loop is provided witha hook 5l of the usual type, which hooks into one of the center eyelets of the kind now used in service pistol belts in the United States Army, Navy, andlvarine Corps which are provided in spaced relation around the belt. Suitable fastening means indicated at 6 and 7, ofthe usual type, and similar to the fastening means used with: the rifle, pistol, and other belts now in the United States service, may be provided. The ammunitionv carriers or pouches are indicated by the numeral 8,. a plurality of carriers for the automatic rifle ammunition clips being disclosed. The numeral 9v indicates one of these pouches locatedin the loop at one end of the belt, and the numeral 10 indicates a pistol ammunition pouch. In order to prevent the hook 5 from becoming disengaged,

the usual slides 11 are provided. The numeral- 12` indicates a pouch for holding a hand grenade. Each of the pouches shown is preferably constructed of webbing or similar material, and in the following manner: The front', sides, bottom and back of each pouch may be made ofa single piece of webbing 13. The pistol clipf carrying pouch is provided with a strip of' webbing lll` which forms a cover for the clips and which extends across the back, the webbing being sewed at the points 15 and 16, to provide a space 17 for the insertion of the belt. Under some conditions, it may be found necessary to provide a construction such as illustrated in Fig. 2, wherein the webbing 18 is looped at the points 19 and 20, and stitched at 21 and 22, the belt being inserted at 23 between the loops 19 and 20. There is preferably provided an additional row of stitching or other fastening means 24, located below the stitches 22, for supporting each pocket horizontally in its proper position upon the belt.

It will be noted that in order to mount the pouches 8 on the belt, the-pouches are first slipped on to the belt before the loops 2 and 3 have been taken in the belt. The pouches 9 and-lomay then be slid upon the belt and the end portions of the belt looped and fastened by fastening the hooks 5 in the eyes e, after which the slides arermoved into the proper position, all as indicated in Fig. 1, the belt being thereafter applied to the wearer.

The new belt constructed and used as above described is a substantial improvement over cartridge belts heretofore known or used because of the fact that it will be possible if adopted by the armed forces of the United States or other countries to do away with five different types of belts, namely, the pistol belt, the rifle belt, the automatic rifle belt, fair leather belt, and the Thompson machine gun belt, all of which may be replaced by the single belt herein shown, which belt may be used with mounted detachments or men armed with rifle and pistol, or pistol and hand grenade, or rifle and hand grenade, or other equipment.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim ist- 1. A cartridge belt having a plurality of looped ends, fastening means on the ends of the loops, a plurality of spaced eyes extending around said beltv and into which said fastening means may be hooked, a number of ammunition pouches slidably mounted on said belt, additional ammunition pouches located within said loops for preventing the slipping oil:` of said first named pouches from. said belt while the belt is being applied or removed from a wearer of said belt, and slidable fastening members mounted in said loops between said additional pouches.

2.- A cartridge belt having a plurality of looped ends, fastening means on the ends of the loops, a plurality of spaced eyes extending around said belt and into'which said fastening means may be inserted, a number of ammuni ion pouches slidably mounted on said belt, each ammunition pouch havingk at least two plies of material on the back thereof between which said belt extends, ammunition pouches located within said loops for preventing the slipping off of said rst named pouches from said belt while the belt is being applied or removed from a wearer of said belt, and fastening members mounted in said loops between said additional pouches.

3. A cartridge belt comprising a belt proper of woven materiaL. each end of said belt having a hook, aplurality of spaced eyelets in said belt, certain of said eyelets being adapted to be engaged by the hook on each belt end when loops are formed at the ends of said belt, a plurality of ammunition carrying pouches slidably mounted on saidr belt, each of said pouches having a rear portionformed ofl a loop of webbing, a horizontally arranged means located near the upper end of said loop for supporting each pouch on said belt, at least one ammunition pouch mounted on said belt in` each loop, and means for fastening the ends of said Vbelt together.

4; A cartridge belt of the class described, having fastening means on the ends of said belt, a plurality of means extending around the belt to which said fastening means may be attached in any one of a plurality of adjusted positions whereby a loop may be formed at each end of the belt, a number of ammunition pouches slidably mounted on said belt, each ammunition pouch` having at least two plies of material on the back thereof between which said belt extends, ammunition pouches Vlocated within said loops for preventing the slippingl of said first named pouches off of said belt while the belt is being applied or removed from a wearer of said belt, and fastening-members in said loops between said additional pouches. 1 f

' SAMUEL L. HOWARD'. 

